Canon MP450 Ink
PIXMA MP450 Ink Cartridges

Canon MP450 Printer Review

The Canon MP450 is a basic all-in-one device, consisting of a scanner, copier and photo printer. It can print up to 22 pages per minute using black printer ink, which is about 2.7 seconds per page. In color, it can produce up to 17 pages per minute, which is approximately 3.6 seconds per page. It takes less than a minute to print a 4"x6" lab quality color photograph and is compatible with Mac and Windows. The Pixma MP450 inkjet unit is inexpensive, ranging from $100-$200. It is has a fast output rate and high quality results but is not ideal for high volume use. Small businesses might consider a more complex inkjet printer, while home users will find the MP450 perfect.

There is a built in 1.9" color LCD screen that sits on the top part of the Canon MP450. This LCD is used when directly connecting from a camera or memory card for previewing and editing images before printing. The MP450 is Bluetooth and infrared compatible and also has a slot for memory cards. These features completely eliminate the need for a PC during the printing process. It also has an auto enhance feature that increases light and sharpness and adjusts red-eye.

There are only two Canon MP450 ink cartridges in this unit, a black and a tri-color. The tri-color consists of cyan, magenta and yellow. The manufacturer provides high capacity Pixma MP450 ink with the initial purchase of the printer. The system used in almost all Canon inkjet devices is known as FINE, which is a revolutionary nozzle technology that ejects hundreds of small drops of Canon MP450 ink per inch. The resolution is 4800x1200dpi for color and 600x600dpi for black printer ink. The scanning feature has a resolution is 1200dpi, which is rather impressive.

The Canon MP450 has no faxing or networking capabilities, and it lacks multiple input trays and a duplex option. However, this printer tests better for speed and quality than all-in-ones in the same price range, such as the HP PSC 2335 and Lexmark P6250. It comes with software that includes East PhotoPrint, ArcSoft PhotoStudio and Scansoft Omnipage, all designed to simplify the multi-functions of the MP450. In comparison to the newer version of this device, the MP500, the test results are almost identical except for fax speed. Also, the newer model offers 5 separate tanks for Canon MP450 ink, which makes the images more clear and crisp.